[They should remember the Day] when the earth is shaken
the way it should be shaken, and it casts forth its burdens. And man cries out:
“What is the matter with her?” On that Day, she will narrate all her story at
the intimation of your Lord. On that Day, men will issue forth individually so
that their deeds can be shown to them. Then whoever has done the smallest bit of
good he also shall see it, and whoever has done the smallest bit of evil, he
also shall see it. (99:1-8)

Belief in the Hereafter is one of the most important tenets
of Islam. It occupies the central position in the preaching mission of prophets.
It is on the foundation of this belief that the pillars of sharī‘ah, virtue and
righteousness stand. Prophethood is also based on it. A nabī (prophet) is a nabī
because he actually foretells this nabā’ azīm (great news).
[1]
A rasūl (messenger) is a rasūl because he brings the message of its advent. John
(sws) and Jesus (sws), Moses (sws) and Abraham (sws) all have proclaimed it. The
Torah tacitly refers to it and the Psalms clearly mentions it. In the Gospel,
Jesus (sws) has warned that on the Day of Judgement only those people will enter
the Kingdom of Heaven who will please his father in heaven. The Qur’ān is a
bearer of warning and glad tidings for this Day. It says that the manner in
which people wake up from sleep (39:42), the manner in which rain enlivens a
dead and desolate terrain (7:57; 35:9), the manner in which a whole human being
comes into existence from a mere drop of water (75:3-40), in the same manner
mankind will be made to rise one day from their graves. Raising up mankind on
that Day would not be of any bother for the Almighty. When the addressees of the
Qur’ān expressed their wonder on being re-created and inquired after the being
who would enliven these decayed bones, the Almighty replied in the Qur’ān
(36:78) that the very being Who created them the first time would create them
again. This whole process is as easy for Him as uttering a word for us is:

I swear by the Lord of heaven and earth that this shall
definitely come [with the same ease] as you speak. (51:23)

The Qur’ān says that it is man’s own nature, his quest for
justice and his awareness of good and evil that requires the coming of a Day of
Judgement. If God is just and fair then such a day must come. His providence,
mercy, power and wisdom as well as His laws and practices all entail that man
face a day of accountability. Without belief in such a day, religion is mere
wishful thinking. The concepts of virtue, piety, justice, reward and punishment
become baseless. Without such a day, the universe has no purpose and can only be
regarded as the play place of divine forces.

The testimonies, indications, sites and events of this day
are described both in the Qur’ān and the Hadīth. In the following paragraphs,
these details are mentioned.

The Testimonies

The first thing is man’s awareness of good and evil. It is
because of this awareness that his chiding conscience rebukes him on every evil.
It is a small court of justice which is found within every person which delivers
its unbiased verdict at all times. Whether he accepts it or not, a person is
able to clearly listen to this verdict after every blemish that emanates in his
thoughts and deeds; this continues until he becomes so deeply involved in evil
that this evil completely surrounds his faculties thereby lulling the calls of
his conscience to sleep. This internal system of rebuke is a testimony of his
own inner-self and is called the testimony of the rebuking-self. The Qur’ān
presents it and tells man that he will not be left unaccountable for whatever he
does. He should know that just as there exists a lesser abode of judgement
within man, similarly a greater abode of judgement will one day be set up for
the whole world; when it takes place, he will be held accountable before his
Lord and rewarded and punished accordingly on the basis of his deeds. If a
person denies such a day of accountability, then it is like denying himself and
playing mischief before one’s conscience:

[They think that the Day of Judgement will never be]; By
no means! I present as evidence the Day of Judgement itself. And [they think
that the Day of Judgement is a far-fetched reality]. By no means! I present as
evidence this reproaching soul [within you]. Does man think that We will not be
able to bring together his bones? Why not? We can put together his very finger
tips. [No this is not so]; in fact [the truth is that] man wants to be
mischievous before his [conscience]. He asks: “When will the Day of Judgement
be?” But on the day when the sight is dazed and the moon eclipsed and the sun
and the moon brought together, this very man will say: “Whither to flee?” – No!
there is no refuge now! Towards your Lord that Day is the resting place. On that
Day will man be informed what he sent forth and what he left behind. [No he
cannot deny it]; in fact, he himself is a witness upon his own self however much
he may put up excuses. (75:1-15)

The second thing is the nature of man by virtue of which he
likes justice and dislikes injustice. No doubt, in spite of this dislike he
still perpetrates injustice but this is not because he is not able to
distinguish justice from injustice or that he likes the latter – it is because
he loses his balance and poise by being overcome with desires and emotions. All
of us know that a person may want to steal from another person’s house but he
would never like someone to steal from his own house; he may kill someone but
would never like that anyone take his life or that of his relatives. Similarly,
a person may be dishonest in weighing his merchandise for others but would never
be happy if others are dishonest with him in this regard. If one asks these
thieves, killers and swindlers about their actions they would confess that each
of these is a crime and should be eliminated. Thus no one in his senses can
regard good and evil to be equal or that both be dealt with in the same manner.
The Qur’ān presents these facts and asks the rejecters of the Day of Judgement:

Are We to deal with those who submit to Us as We deal
with those who transgress? What is the matter with you? What is this judgement
you give? (68:35-36)

The third thing is the incompleteness found both in man and
in this world. From whatever aspect these two are seen, it is clearly evident
that in every single part of theirs the great power and wisdom of their maker is
apparent. In everything great meaningfulness, matchless order and sequence,
unrivalled mathametical perfection and symmetry, extra-ordinary thoroughness and
immense beauty of creativity astounds one’s intellect. On the other hand, if one
tries to understand both of them in their totality, one sees great
incompleteness and lack of purpose in them. We have already alluded to each and
every aspect of this earlier on. After this, there can only be two
possibilities: first, to regard this world as a meaningless place and come to
the conclusion that it is the workmanship of a merry-maker and nothing more;
second, to understand it in combination with a Day of Judgement and that eternal
kingdom of God which has been so vehemently been affirmed and declared by His
prophets. What is the verdict of intellect? Every person can comprehend:

Do you think that We have created you in vain and that
to Us you would never be returned? So very lofty is the status of God, the true
king. There is no god but Him, the Lord of the glorious throne. (23:115-116)

And it was not for gaming and sport that We created the
heavens and the earth and all that lies between them. Had it been Our will to
create a game, We could have found one near at hand if We wanted to do this.
(21:16-17)

Imām Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, while interpreting these verses,
writes:

Mentioned here is the reason that if after this world
there is no Day of Judgement, it has always remained in existence and will
continue like this forever, whether anyone does virtuous deeds or bad ones or
does oppression or justice and its Creator is unconcerned about the good and
evil found in it, then this only means that He has created an amusement to
entertain Himself: He will amuse Himself with it till whenever He likes and when
gets bored He will just end it and create some new amusement for Him for His
enjoyment and pastime. The verse therefore stresses that the heavens and the
earth and what is between them have not been created for amusement. From the
very way it is, this world bears testimony to the fact that it has been created
by a just, wise and merciful being. It is not an object of amusement for a
merry-maker or a warring place of supernatural beings or a theater of a deity;
in fact every single object of this wisely created world bears witness that its
creator has created it with a great purpose and it is an obvious requirement of
His justice and wisdom that a day come when this purpose is fulfilled.[2]

The fourth thing is the attributes of God the effects of
which are evident in every speck of this universe. The attributes of providence
and mercy in particular need one’s attention. After witnessing the
extra-ordinary arrangement made by the Lord of this world to nurture and nourish
man, how can a person of intellect think that his Lord will leave him
unaccountable and how can it be expected from the merciful and gracious God to
not punish people who have made this world a place of oppression and injustice.
For this very reason, the Qur’ān has pointed out at a number of places that the
Day of Judgement is the consequence of God’s providence and mercy, power and
wisdom. After professing belief in God, no one can deny it.

[They should behold:] Have We not made the earth a
cradle and made the mountains [its] pegs? And not created you in pairs? And not
made your sleep a means of comfort [for you]? And not made the night a clothing
[for you] and the day a time to earn [your] livelihood? And not built above you
seven sturdy [skies]? And not placed [in them] a glowing lamp [this sun]? And
not sent down abundant water from dripping clouds that We may bring forth grain
and vegetation and gardens of luxurious growth? [All this clearly testifies
that] indeed the Day of Judgement has an appointed time. (78:6-17)

Have they never observed the sky above them how We have
fashioned and adorned it and [do they not see that] it is flawless. And We have
spread the earth and set upon it mountains and brought forth in it all kinds of
beautiful plants as an insight and reminder for every person who turns [towards
the truth]. And We sent down blessed water from the skies with which We thence
brought forth gardens and the harvest grain, and tall palm-trees stacked with
clusters of dates as a means of sustenance for men and from it We enlivened a
dead piece of land. Such shall you rise [from the earth]. (50:6-11)

Imām Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, while explaining these verses,
writes:

Here the Almighty has directed the attention of the
rejecters of the Day of Judgement towards the obvious signs of His power,
providence and wisdom which can be observed all around man. These signs are
enough to create insight and strike a reminder in a person who has a heart which
has the ability to turn towards the truth.

First, the Almighty has directed man’s attention to His
great power and wisdom: have they not seen the sky above them how it has been
raised high and decked with stars? It is a miracle of God’s power and wisdom
that the immeasurable sky is free from the slightest of flaws. The implication
is that how is it impossible for someone whose immense power and wisdom they see
above them to create them again?

After this, besides His power and wisdom, the Almighty
has directed man’s attention to the tremendous system of providence and
sustenance found around him. He is asked to observe how the Almighty has spread
out the earth beneath their feet and to maintain its balance how He has nailed
mountains into its expanse and how great a variety of fodder has He caused to
grow from the earth. These plants which provide man with sustenance are also a
means of satisfying his aesthetic taste. The implication is that can it be
difficult for someone to re-create mankind from dust whose great signs of power,
wisdom and providence they are witnessing all around them? Will the Almighty who
has made elaborate arrangements for their sustenance leave them to eat, drink
and be merry and never ask them of these blessings?
[3]

The fifth thing is the manifestation of God’s judgement in
this very world. It has been explained earlier that once the rusul (messengers)
of God communicate the truth to their people to the extent that they are left
with no excuse to deny it, a miniature Day of Judgement is witnessed for these
people in this very world. The reward and punishment which is to take place for
people on the basis of their faith and deeds on the Day of Judgement takes place
for the addressees of a rasūl in this very world. The progeny of Abraham (sws)
has been made an example of this worldly reward and punishment for centuries.
For them the law of God is that if they adhere to the truth and present this
truth in its original form to all the people of the world and if these people
reject this truth, then the progeny of Abraham (sws) would be granted
sovereignty by God over them and if they deviate from the truth then the
Almighty punishes them through their very addressees by making them subservient
to them in humiliation. Both branches of Abraham’s progeny: the Israelites and
the Ishmaelites, at the moment, are facing this punishment. We have already
referred to the Qur’ānic verses which mention this divine law. Therefore, this
lesser Day of Judgement is an undeniable proof of the greater Day of Judgement
of which the prophets of God inform us.